Ex-Democratic Rep. Suozzi leads race to replace George Santos: poll

Former New York Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi appears poised to reclaim his seat in an upcoming special election to replace the ousted Rep. George Santos, R-NY, according to a recent survey.

The House expelled Santos last year in the wake of a damning House Ethics Committee report, shrinking the already narrow Republican majority. He had flipped the seat red in the 2022 midterms while Suozzi challenged New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for the party nomination for that position.

The special election to replace Santos is scheduled for Tuesday and a Newsday/Siena College poll published this week shows him with a 4% lead over Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip, Politico reported.

Suozzi led Pilip 48% to 44% with a further 7% unsure. Conducted Feb. 3-6, the survey questioned 694 likely voters and has a margin of error of +/- 4.2%, meaning Suozzi's lead is within the margin of error. The winning candidate will complete the remainder of Santos's term and would still need to run in the November general contest to keep the seat for a full term.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.